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Grizzlies (7-7) at Boston Celtics (6-10)
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #17, Home Game #7
TV: CSNNE, SSO-MEM, NBA-LP 754(DTV),755(xfinity)
Radio: WMFS, WZLX
TD Garden
Probable Starting Matchups Point Guard 
vs

Jordan Crawford vs Mike Conley
Shooting Guard 
vs

Avery Bradley vs Tony Allen
Small Forward 
vs

Jeff Green vs Tayshaun Prince
Power Forward 
vs

Brandon Bass vs Zach Randolph
Center 
vs

Jared Sullinger vs Kosta Koufos

Celtics ReservesMarShon Brooks
Kris Humphries
Vitor Faverani
Courtney Lee
Phil Pressey
Gerald Wallace
Injuries
Rajon Rondo (ACL)out
Keith Bogans (illness) out
Kelly Olynyk (ankle) out
Grizzlies ReservesJerryd Bayless
Quincy Pondexter
Mike Miller
Ed Davis
Nick Calathes
Jamaal Franklin
Jon Leuer
Injuries Marc Gasol (MCL) out
Game NotesThe Celtics and Grizzlies meet for the second and final time this season. The first meeting in Memphis resulted in a come from behind Memphis win.
The Grizzlies will be without their all star center, Marc Gasol, who is out with an MCL sprain. They still have a formidable front line, even with Gasol out, however.
The Grizzlies love to run and will run on every possession. The Celtics need to do the same. The Grizzlies are tough defenders and so the Celtics must run as well and try to get easy points before the defenses get set.
The Celtics are looking for their 3rd straight win while the Grizzlies are hoping to avoid their 3rd straight loss since losing Gasol to the injury. The Celtics are just 2-4 at home while the Grizzlies are 4-3 on the road. Memphis is seeking its fifth straight road win and has won three of the last four against Boston.
Kelly Olynyk is still out for the Celtics and the starting lineup of Crawford, Bradley, Green, Bass and Sullinger have been successful, so I expect Coach Stevens to go with the same group for this game.
Be sure to check out the chat room during the game as it's always jumping. Also, don't forget the CLNS Post Game show right after the game. links to both the chat and the show will be in the game thread on the main page.
Key Matchups 
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Jordan Crawford vs Mike Conley
Jordan Crawford has been doing a surprisingly good job of leading the team in Rondo's absence. Mike Conley leads the Grizzlies with 18.8 points per game and Jordan is going to need to try to keep him from getting big numbers in this game along with leading the Celtics offense and setting the pace for the game.

vs

Brandon Bass vs Zach Randolph
Randolph is a tough cover for anyone. Brandon and Sully are going to need to try to keep Randolph out of the paint and limit his effectiveness.
Keys to the Game Rebound - Much of rebounding is effort and positioning. The Celtics are going to have to put extra effort into boxing out and crashing the glass against Memphis' big front line if they want to stay close.
Move the Ball and Run - Playing as a team and moving the ball will be the Celtics best hope of winning this game. They need to beat the defense down the court before it gets set up. If they try to slow the game down, they won't get anything against the Grizzlies' tough defense.
Take Care of the Ball - The Celtics are young and new to each other and that often means turnovers. The Celtics turnovers have been high in their losses and lower in their wins. They need to take care of the ball and try to limit those turnovers as the Grizzlies will make them pay if they don't.
Play 48 Minutes - The Celtics have tended to either get a big lead and then lose it or get in a big hole and then play hard to come back. They need to find a way to play consistently and hard throughout the game to avoid both of those scenarios in this game.
X-Factors Home and RevengeThe Celtics will be home again finally and should get a boost from home cooking and the home crowd. They will be looking to avenge their earlier loss to the Grizzlies as well. They were able to avenge their loss to the Bobcats and now it's the Grizzlies turn.